Review: WONDER WOMAN #39 Is A Beautiful Yet Hollow Battle

The last issue, we learned our young woman named Vanessa Kapatelis. During a fight with the villain Major Disaster, Wonder Woman saved Vanessa after debris from building fell on her. While the incident crippled her, Diana kept visiting Vanessa while she was in the hospital. Over time, Vanessa learned how to walk again thanks to an experimental nanobot surgery. Sadly, because a hero’s work is never done, Diana came around less and less during the rehabilitation. This caused a rift that transformed the innocent Vanessa into the menacing Silver Swan. How will Wonder Woman deal with this villain she has created?

**Some Spoilers Below**

Story:

After Diana finds her former friend standing above a dead family, blood on her claws, the two start to fight. Throughout her assault, Silver Swan accuses Diana of abandoning her, as well as drift in between the Silver Swan and Vanessa personalities. Wonder Woman tries to stop her, but the fight proves too much for even the mighty Amazon to stop. Hearing of the battle on the news, Jason joins his sister to attempt to take the villainess down.

While I was expecting this fight to be a brutal exchange, it’s definitely missing something. Last issue, we learned of this girl that Wonder Woman left alone. She had hurt this girl and it transformed her into a villain. Wonder Woman is fighting a villain she created, so why does it not feel more impactful? All that emotional buildup is nowhere to be seen in this fight. Silver Swan states why she hates Wonder Woman. Diana says she didn’t. Then they fight. The emotional side of this fight is almost entirely removed and it leaves the issue feeling empty.

The issue also includes a look towards a future arc which features Darkseid and Grail plotting to rule Earth. Obviously, this part was included to push an overarching plot. If this part was removed, there would have been more pages to build on the emotional impact that this issue desperately needed.

Art:

While the story’s lack of emotional impact is disappointing, the art team truly creates a great looking issue. The pencil work of Carmen Carnero and Emanuela Lupacchino is exemplary in the designs of the characters. Wonder Woman and Silver Swan have never looked better, especially in the fight. The colors of Romulo Fajardo Jr. go hand-in-hand with the pencils, allowing the characters to really pop on the page. If there is any reason to pick up this issue, it’s to see the masterfully done artwork.

Conclusion:

While beautiful to look at, this issue is a massive step back in terms of storytelling. What started as an emotion-driven story has turned into a hollow slugfest. The art is extraordinary and does its best to give the reader something to look at. Despite this, the story’s lack of weight drags down this issue and leaves this reader wanting more in the worst possible way.

REVIEW OVERVIEW

WRITING/STORY

PENCILS/INKS

COLORS

LETTERING

SUMMARY

While beautiful to look at, the lack of emotional weight leaves much to be desired for this issue.